A Haunting in Venice makes the third Kenneth Branagh, Agatha Christie extravaganza, for such they truly are with, the epic big screen presentations, big budget top stars, and the bloke himself as the eponymous hero, and the Mr Director "Camera action", a latter day Mr. DeMille well hardly.
I certainly like his acting and while, I was surprised when he took up directing, I have been pleasantly surprised, with the ensuing cinematic results.
Does Kenneth Branagh = Hercule Poirot? Well this review is solely based, on movie versions that I am aware of, which are of Albert Finney, and Peter Ustinov.
What has to o tbe born in mind in comparisons, is not only the actors interpretation, but of the films themselves. Actors can only work with what is available, to them when the movie is being made, this may appear glaringly obvious, but principally they are made to, what may be a strict fiscal budget. This puts constraints on what is possible, in the way of available locations and screen sets, together with available technology, of cameras and equipment, along with wardrobes costumes etc, all play their parts in comprising what we the viewers, can be presented with in a movie.
Also of course the actors themselves, are but a part of the whole ensemble movie cast, their acting performances are modelled as much, by the movie's producers and directors, as by their own innate acting abilities.
Which is where someone like Kenneth Branagh, must be at a distinct advantage, because here he is not merely the actor, being expected to perform to directorial whims, he also gets to decide the actual shape of the entire movie.
So baring all these factors in mind, how does the lad himself compare? Pretty well over all, as an actor in his role he carves out, his own interpretation of the character, which after all is what actors have to do, they must interpret the part and make their own.
As a Hercule Poirot movie it takes the character, into this age and presents him to, what may well be a new audience to those, totally unfamiliar to the character of Poirot , or for that matter to the author Agatha Christie herself. In this way it can help to keep her work known, and hopefully encourage people, to discover what else she has to offer them.
I certainly like his acting and while, I was surprised when he took up directing, I have been pleasantly surprised, with the ensuing cinematic results.
Does Kenneth Branagh = Hercule Poirot? Well this review is solely based, on movie versions that I am aware of, which are of Albert Finney, and Peter Ustinov.
What has to o tbe born in mind in comparisons, is not only the actors interpretation, but of the films themselves. Actors can only work with what is available, to them when the movie is being made, this may appear glaringly obvious, but principally they are made to, what may be a strict fiscal budget. This puts constraints on what is possible, in the way of available locations and screen sets, together with available technology, of cameras and equipment, along with wardrobes costumes etc, all play their parts in comprising what we the viewers, can be presented with in a movie.
Also of course the actors themselves, are but a part of the whole ensemble movie cast, their acting performances are modelled as much, by the movie's producers and directors, as by their own innate acting abilities.
Which is where someone like Kenneth Branagh, must be at a distinct advantage, because here he is not merely the actor, being expected to perform to directorial whims, he also gets to decide the actual shape of the entire movie.
So baring all these factors in mind, how does the lad himself compare? Pretty well over all, as an actor in his role he carves out, his own interpretation of the character, which after all is what actors have to do, they must interpret the part and make their own.
As a Hercule Poirot movie it takes the character, into this age and presents him to, what may well be a new audience to those, totally unfamiliar to the character of Poirot , or for that matter to the author Agatha Christie herself. In this way it can help to keep her work known, and hopefully encourage people, to discover what else she has to offer them.